TAXILA: The Design Vetting Committee of the District Planning and Design Committee Attock at a meeting on Saturday approved the construction of 64 commercial properties across the district.

These commercial projects can opt for development generating revenue for cash stricken Municipal Committees and the District Council as well.

The meeting was chaired by Deputy Commissioner Rao Atif Raza while Additional Deputy Commissioner Revenue Waqas Aslam Marth, Additional Deputy Commissioner General Adnan Anjum Raja, Additional Deputy Commissioner Finance and Planning Waqar Akbar Cheema, District Officer Planning Ijaz Ahmed, Assistant Commissioner City Shagufta Jabeen and other officials were also present.

Briefing newsmen after the meeting, the deputy commissioner said for the first time in the history of Attock, 267 commercial properties construction plans were approved in one year. He said with these projects, not only relevant civic bodies would be able to overcome financial shortfalls as revenue would be generated though depositing the development charges in the respective bodies’ kitty but these would also create employment opportunities and would help boost commercial activities in the district.

These projects include construction plans from District Council Attock, Municipal Committee and from Fatehjang.

Responding to a question, Mr Raza said that all these cases were pending for a long time as about a 100 commercial cases were approved during the previous meeting of the committee. He said that applicants whose commercial plans had been approved should submit the fees by December 30 as there was a possibility of changes in the fee schedule next year.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2023